1SAMUEL 30-31:
The Philistines mustered their armies for full-scale war with Saul and the Israelites. Saul had already done a right thing in expelling all the mediums from Israel. But, since God had turned from him and would not answer him, he resorted to a medium during his darkest hour. It does not bother me too much to say that God spoke through that medium. It seems so by the evidence. But if so, it was an exception. God's word says to never consult a medium. In fact, mediums are to be stoned to death. David was preparing to go to war in support of Achish, or was he really?!
PSALM 106b:
Psalm 106 is a companion to 105, as it again is a historical psalm. I see a very significant correspondence with the section of Romans we are now reading. Can you see it?
Re-reading ROMANS 10, plus 11:1-2a:
Some of the most famous and often quoted words of the New Testament are in this chapter. Paul continues to compare and contrast God's way vs. the Jewish default way.
GNT Translation notes:
Ps.106:26 So he [gave//have] them a solemn warning that he would make them die in the desert
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Rom. 10:6 But what the scripture says about being put right with God through faith is this: “You are not to ask yourself, Who will go up into heaven?” (that is, to bring Christ down).
7 “Nor are you to ask, Who will go down into the world below?” (that [would be//is], to bring Christ up from death).
8 What it says is this: “God's message is near you, on your lips and in your heart”—that [would be//is], the message [about believing//of faith] that we preach.
10 For it is by our [believing//faith] that we are put right with God; it is by our confession that we are saved.
17 So then, [people believe through//faith comes from] hearing the message, and the message [is conveyed//comes] through preaching [about] Christ.
18 But I ask: Is it true that [the people of Israel//they] did not hear the message? Of course they did—for as the scripture says: [PET “The sun, moon, and all of the stars speak the news about God to the whole world that He is the one who created everything. So people have no reason not to know God.”//“The sound of their voice went out to all the world; their words reached the ends of the earth.”]
19 Again I ask: Did the people of Israel not understand? Moses himself is the first one to answer[, when he quotes God’s words]: “I will use a so-called nation to make my people jealous; and by means of a nation of fools I will make my people angry.”
20 And Isaiah is even bolder when he [quotes God, saying//says], “I was found by those who were not looking for me; I appeared to those who were not asking for me.”
NLT Translation notes:
Ps. 106:34 [And then] Israel failed to destroy the nations in the land,
as the LORD had commanded them.
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Rom. 10:6 But faith’s way of getting right with God says, “Don’t say in your heart, ‘Who will go up to heaven [for us]?’ (to bring Christ down to earth).
7 And don’t say, ‘Who will go down to the place of the dead [for us]?’ (to bring Christ back to life again).”
8 In fact, it says,
“The message is very close at hand;
it is on your lips and in your heart.”
And that message is the very message about [fully believing which//faith that] we preach:
11 As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who [believes//trusts] in him will never be disgraced.”
[Here in rapid succession, NLT used three English words for one word in Greek. I continue to maintain that using one word will help us understand what Paul is saying. I think the NLT would be better if either ‘trust’ or ‘believe’ were used consistently. ‘Faith’ is too fuzzy and abstract in English, which can lead to strange, unbiblical interpretations.]
17 So [people fully believe through//faith comes from] hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.
19 But I ask, did the people of Israel really understand? Yes, they did, for even in the time of Moses, God said,
“I will rouse your jealousy through people who are not even a nation.
I will provoke your anger through the foolish [non-Jews//Gentiles].”
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